The invention relates to a process for producing a pet's chew and to a pet's chew obtainable by said process.
Chewable articles for pets such as dogs are well known in the art. These articles are of a flexible nature and serve as a toy for the pet as well as a means of keeping the pet's dentures in good condition. This type of article can be manufactured of different materials. Mainly, they can be divided in two classes: a non-edible variant and an edible variant.
The non-edible variant of a pet's chew can be made from synthetic plastic materials or from raw hide. They have good chewing qualities and, due to their mechanical properties, they have a fairly long lasting time. The greatest disadvantage of most of the non-edible chews is that they are hardly biodegradable, if at all.
Edible pet's chews are mostly produced from raw materials such as cereals, rice, milk and products derived therefrom such as casein, gelatin, and starches. Typically, they comprise numerous additives such as gums, meat or other products of animal origin, mineral oils or fats, vitamins, coloring agents, aromas or taste enhancers. The aim is, of course, to produce a coherent product having the desired mechanical properties to last a long time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,565 discloses a dog chew based on a thermoplastic starch, PARAGON IM 1010. This thermoplastic starch comprises a fairly large amount of calcium carbonate. The dog chew has a brittle character and is therefore less suitable for large dogs.
A disadvantage of most known edible chews is that their mechanical properties are not satisfactory. Due to the fact that they comprise a mixture of several ingredients, they are often brittle and often fall apart soon after a pet, such as a large dog, has set its teeth in it.
The present invention aims to provide a pet's chew prepared from natural materials of renewable sources, making the chew both edible and biodegradable. It is specifically desired that the chew has excellent mechanical properties giving it a long lasting time, even if used for strong animals such as large dogs.